In December 2000, Robert McGinley was splitting his time between the family farm and his home in Southern California, where he is a film producer. It was then, Robert said, that his father -- worried about the farm’s future -- grabbed him by the lapels and made his plea.

“You have to get more involved with the farm,” the father said. Three weeks later, William McGinley died. Suddenly, Robert and his two siblings, James and Margaret McGinley, were forced to consider the near-term fate of their family’s land.

For the next two years, Robert searched for a way to balance his parents’ vision – that Horizon Farms remain an enclave of vast, open, horse-friendly land – with the financial responsibility that came with owning such a prized asset in the sprawling Chicago suburbs.

When his mother died in 2003, Robert was ready to give up his search. Developers had come calling, he said, and it appeared Horizon Farms was set to grow homes, not crops. Then, the three McGinley siblings were introduced to the Barrington Area Conservation Trust.

The non-profit organization, headed by Barrington Hills resident Mary Bradford-White, works to preserve the area’s country character through to use of conservation easements.

In short, a landowner who creates a conservation easement agrees to restrict development on the land. Once agreed to, the easement is recorded on the property’s deed and is administered by trustees of qualified private organization, like the Barrington Area Conservation Trust, or by a government agency.